Aren’t they cool? :) Hahaha. I am FEELING OLD I tell you. Why? Porbably because 60-70% of the Philippine population today has never used or even knew about paper straws! I remember them with great fondness. They held up long enough to finish your drink, but if you dawdled, they softened. If you were evil, you could “squeeze” your classmate’s straw during recess, reducing its effectiveness. And if you were the “gigil” type, you bit your straws which rendered them almost useless, unless you cleanly bit off the end and carefully straightened out the cylinder so you could suck up your drink… :)

Today, plastic straws are de rigueur. And the plastic version is wickedly cheap, say 5-10 centavos a piece. But they are typically non-biodegradeable, and probably clog many a drain, estero, river or sea… If only 5% of the Philippine population uses a single plastic straw every other day, that would be roughly a BILLION straws used and disposed of per year! Egads! Imagine my surprise and delight when on a trip to Divisoria a couple of weeks ago, during a lull in the floods, I spotted these old-fashioned paper straws in four different colors! The inner part of the straws are coated in wax, and they hold up well in a drink… but it’s the nostalgia that they elicit that makes them such a wonderful find.

At roughly PHP1 each, they are some 10-20x the cost of plastic, making them economically less practical, but I do wish they were more readily available and in use. I got a box of every color, not really sure why nor what I will use them for, but maybe I will find a use for them during the year end holidays. The Teen had NEVER used a paper straw before and was intrigued… I was just happy to find a part of my childhood again.

If you want to buy some, I got these at the AFDELL store, formerly the Commoner’s Commercial Store at 725 Ilaya Street, just off Juan Luna Street. They were PHP45 for a box of 50 straws.

COMMENTS:

Bearhug0127
says:

I remember using white paper straws when I was young but never encountered colored paper straws . The ones you have are really nice and I would love to introduce my kids to them. Brings back memories of sipping sodas which cost 10 centavos way way back. Thank you for the post MM.

Aug 29, 2012 | 6:21 pm

Anne :-)
says:

I believe they are using paper straws in Daude at Fort Bonifacio, you’ve got to try their tea concoctions…they’re good! :-)

Aug 29, 2012 | 7:10 pm

dianne
says:

so cute! and so eco-friendly :) i don’t remember being able to use these when i was a kid. you don’t think there are any harmful chemicals in these straws? sorry, some products sold in Divisoria are of dubious quality… :(

Aug 29, 2012 | 7:29 pm

Sui
says:

This post made me SMILE ;-) looking at these paper straws brings back happy memories of my childhood! I remember sipping the last of colas and juices out of these straws until I could taste none of it but the waxy part of the straw. Such small joys for me, hahaha!

i’m in manila for a short R&R, bought Yummy Magazine, if you want to know MM’s real name then buy one today, the September 2012 issue :-)

Aug 29, 2012 | 10:25 pm

Mik
says:

I love these paper straws! When my toddler turned 2 in May earlier this year, I had a small party at home and served the kiddos chocolate milk in old-style glass milk bottles with those red striped paper straws. The kids loved them and the adults waxed nostalgic and wanted some as well! Lol!

Aug 29, 2012 | 10:48 pm

netoy
says:

You statement “The Teen had NEVER used a paper straw before and was intrigued” made me smile. She must have been thinking we are so antiquated to be cognizant of these contraptions, LOL!

Aug 30, 2012 | 2:34 am

Weyn
says:

I love paper straws — I think what I’ve never seen before are plastic straws that are just as cute. However, I’m wary of that layer of wax/plastic inside.

My friend’s working on a biodegradable alternative for those protective layers inside paper containers, but I forget what she mentioned about them being harmful to marine life. If you ask me, paper straws are the “lesser evil”, though I do hope there’s something far better and widely available. :)

These paper straws are now ver trendy and we just used them at a friends baby shower together with the mason jars as our glass for lemonades. However its a bit expensive but i love them.

Aug 30, 2012 | 5:12 am

Betchay
says:

Oh, I remember these too!… but only in white color….good alternative for going green! :)

Aug 30, 2012 | 7:17 am

Dragon
says:

I watched an episode of Bobby Chinn’s new show. In this segment, he was looking for biodegradable/green alternative(s) to the regular plastic straws to be used in his new restaurant’s bar. A lightbulb moment: chopped of the thick stalks of the kangkong leaves. He went back to the buko vendor in HCM and showed him how to use kangkong stalks as straws and leaves as decor for his fresh buko. The bukoman’s expression was priceless!

Aug 30, 2012 | 7:46 am

Dragon
says:

*off*

Aug 30, 2012 | 8:22 am

Cecile
says:

Good morning sir! So happy to read your post this morning! Am so stressed now in trying to make things ready for my kids bday tomorrow afternoon. Pero super saya naman ako upon reading this post ‘coz I’ve been looking for paper straws but mahirap hanapin!
Sir saan po ba ang address na yon ng AFDELL store? Do they have a contact number?

you rock (as usual) market man. ive been dreaming of paper straws for years. are they coated in wax (or was it laminated?) like the old ones?

Aug 30, 2012 | 9:59 am

Didi
says:

Oh geez, I remember these :)))

Aug 30, 2012 | 11:45 am

Suzette
says:

We also got these paper straws weeks ago in Divi for the rainbow themed party of my niece :)

Aug 30, 2012 | 12:27 pm

bagito
says:

Paper straw + Choco Vim = Happiness!

Aug 30, 2012 | 12:51 pm

greens_blossoms
says:

Our “age” showing when we can remember paper straws…am going to Divi on Monday for a lawn mower and now you gave me another reason to go – paper straws… And just like you I don’t know when I will use them :-)

Aug 30, 2012 | 5:22 pm

wendy darling
says:

Win!
I am old enough to remember paper straws and proud of it ;) because what goes around, comes around.

Here’s my paper straw memory – milk shakes made from real full-fat ice cream and real full-fat milk served at the bar (so that I could watch the barmen make the orders), with individually wrapped straws (only in white) from a shiny aluminum straw dispenser at Magnolia Dairy Bar, and pestering my dad if I could have one of the commercial kitchen milk shake blenders for my 7th birthday.

Dairy Bar is long-gone and replaced with a condominium complex, adult-onset lactose intolerance making full-fat milk and milk products a rare treat (and never together in the same milk shake), the milk shake blender has been superseded by a Blendtec.

At least I can still fill my (almost antique) straw dispenser with paper straws – and more colorful ones these days.

Aug 30, 2012 | 9:09 pm

PITS, MANILA
says:

i remember these from elementary days … i remember the plain white and somewhat translucent kind. they very lightly taste of wax. i even remember ‘canada dry’ — uva was my favorite! later came the plastic ones, then those that one could bend. do you remember ‘sunkist’ and those hard plastic straws? geeeze, i feel so old …

Hahaha, I knew these would dig up old memories. PITS, I used to freeze those Sunkist tetrapaks and eat them like a popsicle… :)

Aug 31, 2012 | 7:49 am

jazzie
says:

love this post and the comments. bring back a lot of memories of my childhood. thanks.

Aug 31, 2012 | 5:10 pm

Ceej
says:

nice! meron pala dito satin. i was clueless on where to buy them before (had to buy them through amazon) divi lang pala ang katapat. haha. thanks for sharing :)

Aug 31, 2012 | 10:28 pm

satomi
says:

I love them paper straws!! I use them for my parties, crafts and giveaways. The gray & white and pink & white stripes are my fave colors.

Aug 31, 2012 | 10:51 pm

wildecox
says:

Hmmm, that’s cool! :)

Late twenties na ko but I don’t remember using paper straws back then .

Sep 5, 2012 | 12:09 pm

cris l.
says:

for those looking as well, i remember theres an online seller on facebook, “party starters” or “party starting,” something like that. anyway, it’s a party supp;y shop that has asstd colors of paper straws. :)

Thank you so much for sharing where you found these babies! I’ve been always wondering where in Manila I’d find paper straws. I’ve seen bamboo cutlery being sold at Shopwise. But paper straws? At long last! Thank you! :)

Sep 19, 2012 | 8:56 am

myline
says:

If you are interested in paper straws, you may call me @ 0927-6127044 or 0920-9016630. we have biodegradable products as well made from baggase(sugarcane).

Sep 20, 2012 | 5:10 pm

PITS, MANILA
says:

tsk-tsk-tsk … i see your comments only now, wendy darling, and MM! from end of august pa – now being almost the end of november … sorry …..

yes, wendy – those triangular-packs for sunkist … and like MM, i used to freeze them too. they don’t taste the same now, and i know it’s not because of my age — hahaha! wondering why i never tried freezing the uva from ‘canada-dry’ …

do you remember the candy — “tira-tira” as well? now laughing here … :)

hello! :) Are these paper straws made and manufactured here in the Philippines? I badly need a paper straw manufacturer or entrepreneurs who know how to make paper straws for my feasibility study. Thank you :*